France protests: More violence feared amid renewed demonstrations

French authorities say they will be deploying some 70,000 police on Saturday amid renewed protests as they look to prevent a repeat of the violence that marred mass nationwide demonstrations over social inequality a week ago.

Announcing the deployment, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez warned at a news conference in Paris that calls for violence and looting were circulating on social media.

Several restrictions on protests have been imposed across the country, including bans on a union-led march on one route in the capital, Paris, that organizers say they will disregard, citing safety concerns about a proposed alternative.

Leading museums in Paris, including the Louvre, will also remained closed.

The protests come a critical political moment for France, with elections due in six months to elect a successor to President Emmanual Macron.

Polls have shown far-right candidate Marine Le Pen as the frontrunner and indicated that the latest events might have shored up her popularity.

French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned a shooting near Paris on Friday in which one person was killed and five others were injured, including a 12-year-old girl.

Macron called the attack "a turning point," saying it was "a terrorist act that was planned to kill our compatriots, our children, based on the color of their skin or their religion."

The victim killed was said by authorities to have been of "African origin," and most of the injured were also from foreign backgrounds.

The shooting is likely to further fuel tensions ahead of protests planned for Saturday, with some far-right politicians blaming immigration for the violence on the sidelines of protests in several French cities on October 17.

France is bracing for another day of mass protests a week after the country saw some violent rioting on the sidelines of demonstrations against rising inequality, declining public services and a deteriorating education system.

The current wave of protests sweeping the country comes on the heels of largely peaceful demonstrations by high school students over learning conditions.

Some 70,000 police are to be deployed in the capital, Paris, and other cities, while protest bans are in place in several locations.

The protests in France have spilled over into other European countries, with Italy also expecting mass demonstrations on Saturday.

In this blog, we will be keeping you up to date on all the latest protest developments in France and other European countries on Saturday, October 24, and Sunday, October 25.